Buying cards on facebook?
 

Hi looking to see if anyone here is interested in sharing their perspective/experience on buying cards on facebook? I checked and it seemed like chaos (like 50 replies to a post) or an easy way to get scammed (my great grand pappy gave me this signed mickey mantle card and I want to sell it here)...?

Best,
Ed

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Actually, my experience has been excellent. I barely buy or sell on eBay anymore. For me, the trick is to pick the right FB groups/pages, and get to know the more experienced buyers and sellers. I didn’t take me long and I’ve had excellent experiences on several vintage FB pages

Jeff

That's a big card so be sure to do your homework, ask for references, etc, before selling it to anyone here or there.

Personally, I've had good luck but that doesn't mean each and every site on facebook is free of scammers and crooks. They are everywhere as one, especially this day and age, should know.
(Post up pic if you can?)

If it's a Marketplace post on FB, that can be pretty sketchy. If it's a group you're in, or just joined, check out how long they've been in the group and what other posts that seller has made and see if they seem to be a participating and credible/trustworthy member. Someone who just joined a group and goes big selling a $5k card with their first post is usually a problem.

ETA: Use a payment method with buyer protection if you're not sure (or always). If they insist on a no-fee payment method, can often be a sign of a scam.

I'm new to FB
 

Just got started about a month ago - kicking myself for not getting there sooner. I haven't bought anything yet, but have sold quite a bit. Asking for "vouches" from people who have done business with the seller is a thing there too.

I buy/sell in the Mets FB groups where everyone knows each other. Never had a problem.

I've bought and sold in fb groups for 3-4 years. Never had a problem, super easy, and no fees when selling. At this point my purchases (non auction house) are about 75% fb. 25% ebay.
Just stick to paypal G&S (as most groups require) and you'll be fine.

I've had some luck in limited transactions.

I haven't sold much,but have picked up some commons to complete some sets.

Most of the posts seem to be way overpriced though.

I've used Marketplace for local pickup a handful of times,and done OK.

I'm getting ready to use Marketplace - local pickup to get rid of about 50,000 junk era commons and minor stars/rookies. I'm going to ask $150 and see what happens

Hi thank you for the feedback. I am in the process of purchasing a few and created one listing.

I am feeling better post my first day there...it just felt like chaos at that time...maybe too many group/comments etc.

Thanks again,
Ed

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I've done hundreds of transactions on fb groups. Since I started about five years ago it has really limited the time I spend here. I do check back here periodically (as evidenced in this response), however, I don't think I've purchased anything here in a long time as the deals just don't seem to be as frequent. Still enjoying reading the banter though!

In all the deals on fb I have only been scammed once and looking back it was one of those too good to be true deals and my whiffer was just broke that night. I have had instances where cards arrive in poorer condition than I anticipated so be sure to request plenty of pics and ask specific questions. But all in all I'd say my collection grew exponentially because of fb, especially pre-war.

I've scoured fb marketplace quite a bit and communicating with buyer is spotty at best. Groups are where it's at!

Hi thank you for the feedback. For me it went well...I am slowly figuring out the vintage groups. The speed of the posts fills my FB stream....not used to that. I am thinking to post the same here and there.

Hey is there a way to bump a FB group post 'back to the top' vs making a new post (again)?

Best,
Ed

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FB groups can be a great resource, but you have to find the right one for you. There can be lot of noise to filter through. But yes, far easier to sell there in most cases than eBay, and once you establish relationships with good people FB can be very handy, both for buying and selling.

Here is my $.02

I have done both buying and selling on both FB and Ebay and both are good, yet different.

Facebook
- The key is which group(s) you're in. Find a few and watch for a bit. Learn how they work. Two of the ones I am in are so big and there are so many sales it's easy to miss things, or lose one to go back to. If posting, theoretically, any post/reply will "bump it back up" but the FB algorithms are strange and it doesn't work for everyone. There are different settings for different groups (FB settings for posts) such as New Posts, Newest Activity or Most Relevant. I am still trying to figure out how to change these permanently. I'll change it to New Posts in a group and the next time I go to that page its back to Most Relevant. So your post, even if there is a lot of activity/posts may still miss some if it's not relevant to what they have been searching for recently.
- Sometimes how to sell on FB is a guessing game. Which group do I use? Do I sell as an auction, claim sale or just a fixed price. There are advantages to all. I actually tend to best selling lower dollar cards in claim sales. They're a lot of work though, but if done right you can move stuff that is just sitting around. Higher dollar/stars will do better but they need to be priced right.
- Buying is all about timing. A lot of posts just provide pics (some not so great) and give no info on condition. Ultimately, you should be able to find what you are looking for, but if you're picky on condition, be picky about sales and/or ask for more pics. Hang around enough and you'll find certain sellers that always have nice cards and do well at describing general condition and mention creases, flaws, etc.

Ebay - I like being able to save certain sellers and at my leisure look at what cards they have added since I last looked. I like to look at a lot of cards and are very picky with condition on non-graded cards. My definition of NM is not the same as everyone's. But I can look anonymously and pass on cards that aren't pleasing. That part I like.
- Finding good sellers is key in my opinion. It lessens the chance you'll find some jackass who doesn't know how to package cards properly to ship and you'll find some consistency.
- The other thing I like if I am buying multiple cards, is there are sellers who do high volume and let you stack cards for several days and not pay additional shipping charges. I've won cards from the same seller for almost a week before and didn't pay until 6 or 7 days. They will combine the invoice and reduce shipping charges before you pay. Just have to find the sellers that do this. Note: there are some FB sellers that do the same. The handful of claim sales I have done, I spread out over 3 days and only charge $5 shipping no matter how many cards they buy. I don't send anyone a total until the sale is done, so they can take advantage of flat shipping costs. I've even, via Messenger, added cards that I had not posted to their lot. That helps keep costs down. Personally, I like getting to know a bit about those that buy from me and what they collect. it has led to added sales and led to me buying from them, and even a trade (not my favorite)!

I'm rambling, so hopefully that helps some. If you have any specific questions about FB groups, ebay sellers, etc. feel free to PM me.

There's a few Facebook groups that I really like and have had good experiences in. Dan Harmon's vintage groups have always been really fun and I've meet some good folks. There's also a few pre-war groups I'm in that have been great for buying and selling in.